Sealing the Deal Read Online Free

Emma to her new home, any time away would come from her accumulated sick leave—if the school corporation allowed it.
    When she’d explained the changes in her life to her boss, he’d been sympathetic yet stern. She needed to get back to work as soon as possible.
    No wonder. The first round of annual testing to evaluate the students’ progress was approaching. Add to that Beth’s Service Learning class, a hands-on course where the students earned credit by doing projects for the community. A substitute teacher simply couldn’t do what she could.
    She dropped her keys twice before she was able to get the apartment door open while simultaneously holding Emma’s carrier. Once inside, Beth set the carrier down and finally got Emma out of it.
    A look around the apartment revealed a disaster area. After the call had come about Tiffany’s death, Beth had gone on autopilot. The arrangements were handled by phone, made easier since Tiffany had filled out a directive about what would happen if she died on her tour of duty. There were instructions on everything from where to have her funeral to which cemetery to bury her in.
    Beth sighed, resigned to the fact that she wouldn’t be able to do much about the mess or about the two of them living in a studio apartment that was one enormous room with an attached bathroom. She hadn’t picked the place out for any reason other than it was inexpensive. The low rent allowed her to save money to buy a house one day. She hadn’t expected to be sharing it, especially with a child.
    “We’ll just have to look on the bright side, Emma. It’s cozy. It’s cheap. And we’ve got each other.”
    Emma chose that moment to arch her back and let out a wail that could wake the dead.
    “What do you want, sweetie?” She’d been fed. She’d been changed. She’d been given time to play. “Tell me what you want.”
    The wail continued, and Beth had her hands full trying not to drop the baby. Figuring the best thing she could do was let Emma stretch after the long trip, she set her on the floor. Then she grabbed an afghan and spread it out before moving Emma onto it. “Here you go. Sit there while I get the rest of your stuff.”
    All Emma did was roll to her stomach and scream some more.
    Dropping to her knees, Beth patted her niece’s back. “What? What can I do for you?”
    “No, no, no,” Emma snapped at Beth. “No!”
    So she did know a word. “No what, Em?” Good Lord, trying to figure out what a child that age wanted was more frustrating than dealing with a classroom full of the moodiest of teenagers.
    Emma flopped over to her back and started kicking, all the while crying as though someone were trying to murder her.
    Beth leaned over her and was rewarded with a foot to the face. Her hand shot up, covering her throbbing nose. At least it wasn’t bleeding.
    “Knock, knock.”
    She whipped her head around to find Robert standing in the open doorway, holding quite a few of Emma’s things. His handsome grin made her stomach flip. “Robert! What are—”
    He didn’t even let her finish. “Figured you might need some help when you got home.”
    Although she wanted to ask him how he knew she’d returned, she still had her hands full with Emma. The baby was now on all fours, wailing as she crawled toward the door faster than should’ve been possible.
    Robert came inside and set the folded playpen, the high chair, and the bag of toys by the couch. When Emma reached him, he picked her up, tossed her in the air, and laughed.
    Darn if the baby didn’t start laughing in return as if she hadn’t just spent all that time screaming.
    Beth sat there on the carpet, watching Robert handling Emma as though he’d raised a brood of his own. “Where did you learn to do that?”
    “Do what?” he asked before he blew a raspberry against Emma’s neck, setting her to squealing in happiness.
    “ That. Get her to be happy. She’s done nothing but cry from the moment Mom handed her to